Raya & the Last Dragon slipped under our radar when it first came out, but on a lazy winter Sunday, we decided to give it a try.

It is rare among Disney features for a couple of reasons. One, it's not a musical. Two, it's not based on traditional folklore. Three, the Disney princess is not trying to win her true love (although, to be fair, Disney has done a good job de-emphasizing that hackneyed plot point in recent years).

What's not rare is the quality of the story, the animation, the overall presentation. Raya & the Last Dragon is very, very good.

We watched this one with the children just a few weeks after watching a more recent release, Encanto. We -- my wife as well as the kids -- agreed that Encanto is more fun (in part because of the music, which is quite catchy) and colorful, but Raya has the better story.

It's a really good story.

Drawing on a variety of East Asian cultures, Raya imagines a world where dragons (of the benevolent, sinewy Chinese persuasion) once lived, but they gave their lives fighting an evil force of Druun, who were absorbing people's souls and turning them to stone. The last dragon defeated the Druun with the magic of a dragon crystal, formed from the sacrifice of several dragons near the end of the battle, and she herself fell along with her foes. For many generations, the people of this land thrived under the passive protection of the crystal, but greed eventually caused strife and, inadvertently, the crystal's destruction. That released the Druun, but the dragons no longer existed to protect mankind from their depredations.

Cut ahead six years. Raya, the daughter of a trusting king who invited his kingdom's enemies into his home and allowed the crystal to shatter, travels the broken land on her giant pillbug/armadillo hybrid in pursuit of the legendary last dragon, Sisu, who some people believe did not die in the final battle but is sleeping at the bottom of a river. It's no secret (based on the film's title alone) that she finds the dragon, but the task ahead still isn't easy -- to collect the shards of the crystal and restore the magic that kept the Druun at bay. Of course, the warring kingdoms each have a piece, and they jealously guard each fragment as a last (but fading) defense against the Druun.

Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran) is at first aided only by her hybrid steed Tuk Tuk (Alan Tudyk), but along the way she picks up a motley crew of allies: the orphan Boun (Izaac Wang), the infant thief Noi (Thalia Tran), the lone warrior Tong (Benedict Wong) and, of course, Sisu (Awkwafina). Raya's efforts are contested at every turn by Namaari, who betrayed her when they were young (Jona Xiao) in order to steal the crystal and now pursues her as an adult (Gemma Chan) in order to claim the pieces. Other notable figures include Raya's father Benja (Daniel Dae Kim) and Namaari's mother Virana (Sandra Oh).

Visually stunning, Raya benefits even more from a strong narrative, a hero's journey with unexpected turns, and an underlying message of optimism and trust. Sisu is quick to believe the best of everyone, and sometimes she's proven to be wrong, while Raya is innately suspicious of everyone's motives -- with good reason -- but learns that, sometimes, people can rise to their best natures. The plot has more complexity than many kid-targeted movies, but Raya never talks down to its audience; the script assumes that viewers will understand what's going on, and by and large it works.

We really enjoyed Raya & the Last Dragon. I am sure we will watch it again.